By supporting ANY company that does business in China, they are supporting the Chinese Government and it's repression of it's people. Yet so many of them simply fail to realise this.

So I say fuck the boycott. If you're going to argue that MS should be boycotted, then ALL companies that deal with China should be boycotted, which of course is simply untenable.

I say boycott MSN Spaces - it's shit anyway.

But the most reasoned and intelligent response (apart form my own of course ;) is from Reason.

They quite rightly point out that in China:
- political dissent isn't going to fall because MSN Spaces blocks words like democracy
- it's really easy to punch a hole through the great 'firewall' of China
- and no one there really gives a fuck

Like most people, the average Chinese citizen will not even bother caring until it impacts directly on them.

In Australia, we have no right to free speech and free press, but most of us don't care, because we say what the fuck we like, and it's only when it become legal and will impact on our hip pockets that we do care.

If this wasn't the case, how come we sit back and let so much bullshit hit us in the face? A few of us try to take a stand, but in general the average citizen just doesn't care.

Wednesday, 8 June 2005

It's not really that surprising, considering the amount of iPods sold, and the "coolness" attached to Apple's service.

It's also not surprising because people in general don't want to do illegal things.

People never thought "lets share music and rip off record companies"

I STILL reject the notion that filesharing rips off artists... Record Companies rip off artists... they did long before file sharing became a problem, and you don't hear of too many big bands or big lables dying because of loss of profit directly related to filesharing do you... Small companies maybe... But I digress...

People thought "let's share music like we always have"... and because there was no ligitimate way to do that, they did it illegally.

But it also begs the question - WHERE THE FUCK IS iTUNES AUSTRALIA???

It's shocking that we do not have a local iTunes store up and running yet. Australia is always quick to pick up new technology, and Apple is doing themselves a massive disservice by being late on this.

If I was a direct competitor of Apple / iPod / iTunes, I'd have a working store that integrated smoothly with my device, and beat Apple to its customers.

But alas, we have to suffer the whim of the big A, and continue to use our iPods illegally...

Thursday, 2 June 2005

Have you seen that episode of Lost, where the brother of the really hot blond chick gets whacked in the head by the old guy, and gets salve put on his head? But the salve is hallucinogenic, and he trips out and you find out he screwed his (half) sister? and when his sister dies in his trippy hallucination, he feels 'relieved'?

That's how I feel. Relieved.

I just found out my ex girlfriend is moving to the UK. She's finally exiting my life.

But I'm actually jealous.

Not because she's with another guy or whatever, I couldn't care less, but I would LOVE to live in the UK.

I could go out for the music I like every single fucking night. Ninja Tunes. NuSkool breaks. DnB. Northern Soul. Dub and Reggae.

I could take a pilgrimage to Manchester and Factory... home of Happy Mondays, Stone Roses and the Orb.

I could spend the weekend at a "all-nighter", listening to Northern Soul.

I could go to Sheffield and visit the studios of the designers republic.

I mean, PWEI reformed and I missed it coz I'm in the ass end of the world with people who don't even know what "pop will eat itself" could possibly mean sociologically/historically, let alone know that they're one of the best indie bands in the history of indie bands.

And the plays that happen in the East end... and the art shows... and it's proximity to Europe... and the pirate radio... And the culture - A thousand year old castles, 3,000 year old pagan temples! OH YOUR GOD how cool is that?!?

Hell, even the fact it costs 300 pounds to fly to the US! I could visit my Abducted friends every year! How cool would that be!!! Me and Nathan at Burning Man. Me and Jen at Mardi Gras. Me and Alloni at, errr... well somewhere cool!

and the computer game trade shows... E3 every year. Leipzig every year, Tokyo game show... all the greatest game shows.

Fuck. Grrr.

Well, at least I'm working here in a job I thoroughly enjoy with nice people, and I do what I've always wanted to do - DJ in clubs and on radio, write for Adelaide's coolest street mag, and review computer games for Australia's best Xbox website.

*sigh*

In times like this I only have a prayer, and I don't particularily belive in God...

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot changeThe courage to change what I can,And the wisdom to know the difference.

Softography

Producer on My Little Pony:Friendship is Magic on iOSProducer on Playful Minds Math on iOSAssistant Producer on Silent Ops on iOS

Krome Studios Melbourne:

QA on Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole on PS3, Xbox360 and WiiQA on Game Room on Xbox360Assistant Producer on unannounced and cancelled Wii titleAssistant Producer on Transformers: Rise of the Fallen on Wii/PS2Lead QA on SceneIt? Box Office Smash on Xbox360QA on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on WiiQA on Hellboy: Science of Evil on Xbox360 & PSPQA on The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels on Wii

Krome Studios Adelaide:

Senior QA on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on PSPQA on The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night on WiiQA on The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning on PS2

Ratbag / Midway Australia

Lead QA for Ratbag Games ToolsQA on Wheelman on PS2 (cancelled)Lead QA on Speedway Sprintcars (PAL) on PS2QA on Saturday Night Speedway on PS2 and PCQA on Dukes of Hazzard:Return of the General Lee on Xbox